Royal treatment

Korea's crowned heads are history, but the cuisine they fostered has become household fare, and a special treat in Shanghai, Xu Junqian discovers.

"Can you cook breakfast?" That's the question Korean mothers routinely ask before marrying off their sons to the future daughter-in-law - a subtle yardstick for judging the girl's wife hood.

"Yes, and I can cook royal court cuisine." That answer, though not heard very often nowadays, is sure to secure more than a nod from the mother-in-law.